Hello hello ok well my PCI Express X16 card screwed up and I'm a bit of a noob so what I would like to know is, can any card that is also a PCI Express X16 fit or would it depend on the motherboard manufacturer??? I've got an ABIT IP-95 and it has a PCI Express X16 slot, PCI Express X1 and PCI 1 and 2. Are each slot used for video card so say if I replaced my pciex16 with a pciex1 that would be ok??
Thanks :)
Whether or not it will fit will depend on your case. Do any drive bays get in the way? To find out, you're going to have to measure how much room you have.
If you have a spare PCI-E slot then any PCI-E card will fit, sames goes for PCI. Both providing that the case and your current hardware (as Fumz said) allows for it. This includes checking if other PCI cards and cabling have left enough room for the new card to fit.
It's also worthwhile having a bit of an internet browse to search for known compatibility issues. Have a search for the card that you think might be a nice replacement (even visit your local shop and get a recommendation), then browse away for any known issues between this card and your motherboard.
Good Luck
Only the PCI-Express 16 is really there for video cards, those others are for other things, such as audio cards, Network Interface Cards and that's about it for a typical user these days.
Other things: propriety cards for some hardware (required for use and only for that piece of hardware, not common for home PCs), TV tuner card, USB hub card for more high speed ports if your PC was lacking them.
You want to see some; search on newegg.
All depends on slots available on the motherboard you are using, and size of video card and power supply required are the 2 issues people who are neophytes are likely to run into problems if they don't investigate ahead of purchasing an upgrade.
There's plenty of room to fit a new card in. How do I wokr out about the power supply?
Are you sure? Did you measure how much room you have or are you just making a wild guess? What card are you going to get? Is there a pci-e connector on the rear of the card, or on the side? If it's on the rear, have you figured that into your size estimate?
Cards these days can be huge. All too often guys get new cards that can't be installed because they simply don't fit in their case. I'd be sure.
For the Power Supply (PS) you should to be aware of four main things for a basic rig.
1. Wattage - Will your power supply be powerful enough for your hardware. Use a Power Supply Calculator like this one to work this out
2. Motherboard Connectors - Is my PS compatible with my motherboard. Generally they all are cross compatible but it still pays to check this if you require a new PS.
3. Molex plugs. Does your PS come with enough power plugs to plug into your devices? Remember that different devices may require different plugs. e.g. If your new graphics card requires the PS to plug directly into it, is there a free cable?
4. Is there room for the PS, does it allow for free airflow inside your PC?
Thanks guys I'll have a look in PC soon. Not sure if this can help you to help me at all but this was the card I already had before it screwed up - GV-NX62TC256P8-RH - GIGABYTE
Will probably take it in to computer shop for them to help me out
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